PG&E vs. SCE vs. SDG&E: How Their Rates Compare in 2026

SDG&E had the highest residential average electricity rate of California's three large investor-owned utilities in June 2026: 45.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. PG&E averaged 33.7 cents and SCE averaged 34.4 cents. Those are utility-wide averages for bundled residential customers. Your actual price depends on your rate plan, when you use electricity, your climate zone, your baseline allowance and whether a community choice aggregator supplies your generation.

Correction September 10, 2026: the earlier version transposed PG&E and SCE’s June averages. The report shows PG&E at 33.7¢/kWh and SCE at 34.4¢/kWh. PG&E’s cooler-zone non-CARE sample bill is $125.

2026 Rate Comparison

Source: the California Public Advocates Office's Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, pp. 8, 13–15 and 20–24. Rates exclude the California Climate Credit. Sample bills use different reported usage and climate zones, so they are examples, not utility-wide average bills. *SDG&E's report notes that its coastal sample used more electricity than its desert sample.

Average Rate Is Not Your Rate Plan

The 33.7, 34.4 and 45.5 cent figures answer a statewide comparison question. They do not tell you what one kilowatt-hour will cost at 6 p.m. tonight. The state calculates a residential average from utility revenue and residential electricity sales. A time-of-use tariff, by contrast, prices your electricity by season and hour. A baseline credit, CARE or FERA discount, fixed charge, local tax and CCA generation charge can change the total again.

That is why two neighbors can use the same number of kilowatt-hours and still receive different bills. Before comparing utilities, read the rate-schedule name on the bill and compare the total kWh, billing days and peak-period use. The peak window itself differs by utility and plan; see peak hours at each California utility.

For the full quarterly history behind these numbers — including each utility's 12-month change, fixed-charge tiers and source citations — see the California Utility Rate Tracker.

PG&E: Similar Average Rate, Different TOU Choices

PG&E's June residential average was 33.7 cents per kWh after a March 1 rate change lowered the residential average by about 3.7% from January 1. PG&E also began showing a Base Services Charge separately in March. PG&E says most customers pay around $24 a month, while CARE and FERA customers generally pay lower amounts. It also says the restructuring lowered per-kWh prices and may raise or lower an individual total bill depending on usage.

The two broad residential TOU choices have meaningfully different windows. E-TOU-C charges peak prices from 4–9 p.m. every day and includes a baseline credit. E-TOU-D uses a shorter 5–8 p.m. peak on non-holiday weekdays and no baseline credit. Our PG&E time-of-use guide compares the current schedules and the usage patterns each one tends to fit.

SCE: Climate and Usage Can Outweigh the Average

SCE’s June residential average was 34.4 cents per kWh, above PG&E’s 33.7 cents and below SDG&E’s 45.5 cents. Yet the state's sample non-CARE bill for hot climate zone 15 was $254, compared with $152 in cooler zone 6. The report says the hotter-zone sample used about 700 kWh a month while the cooler sample used about 385 kWh. Its lower average rate than SDG&E did not overcome much higher consumption in this sample.

SCE's June 1 update changed its residential average by only about one-tenth of one percent from January. If an SCE bill jumped sharply, work through the SCE high-bill checklist: first compare kWh and billing days with the same month last year, then check peak-period use and the selected rate plan against the SCE time-of-use rate guide.

SDG&E: The Highest Residential Average Rate

SDG&E remained the clear rate outlier at 45.5 cents per kWh in June, even after a June 1 update reduced its residential average by about 2% from April. Its TOU schedules can place a wide spread between on-peak and lower-priced periods. That makes the specific plan and the timing of air conditioning, cooking, laundry and EV charging especially important.

Start with the current schedule rather than a statewide average. The SDG&E time-of-use rate guide explains the major residential options and peak windows.

What a CCA Changes on Your Bill

A community choice aggregator buys or generates electricity for customers in participating cities and counties. The investor-owned utility still delivers the power, reads the meter, sends the consolidated bill, maintains the distribution system and handles outages. A CCA customer therefore sees utility delivery charges plus CCA generation charges, and may also see a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment.

Do not compare only the CCA generation line with a bundled utility's all-in rate. Use the joint rate comparison for your CCA and rate schedule, or the CPUC's California Electric Rate Comparison tool. That is the closest apples-to-apples check.

What to Check Before Considering Solar

1. Compare usage, not just dollars. Check kWh per day against the same season last year and account for a longer billing cycle.
2. Run the utility's rate comparison. A plan change can help when your load falls outside the peak window; it cannot fix unusually high consumption by itself.
3. Check CARE, FERA and Medical Baseline. These programs serve different eligibility needs and can be more relevant than a solar quote.
4. Separate generation from delivery. If you have a CCA, compare the combined cost and review the correct joint rate document.
5. Model solar from your own interval data. A useful proposal should show consumption, production, imports, exports, rate-plan assumptions and battery behavior. A statewide savings percentage is not enough.

Diagnose the specific utility before requesting a system proposal: the PG&E high-bill checklist, the SCE high-bill checklist and the SDG&E high-bill checklist each work through the same evidence in that utility's own rate structure.